Method of forming expanded metal.



w H. GOOLEY. METHOD OF FORMING EXPANDED METAL.

7 5 M V J H M N a m m P m 5 E w w/ I 5 V M if a w W 9 2 W. H. GOOLEY.

METHOD OI FORMING EXPANDED METAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1908.

909,064 Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' gatmgim single operation and =ation is put uponstrands or si eregularity in the cuts 111 p rmeans of, preferably rotary, cutters, a

WILLIAM H. GOOLEY, OF BROCKPORT, NEW YORK.

METHOD OF FORMING EXPANDED METAL.

Application filed June 29,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

1908. Serial No. 440,806.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Ooonnr, a citizen of'the United States,and a resident of Brockport, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented a new and Improved Method of Forming Expanded Metal,of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improved method of producing expandedmetal such as used in reinforced concrete work and for lathing and othersimilar purposes.

It has been customary hitherto in the production of expanded metal,-when the metal was cut by reciprocating dies, to ex and themetal as itis being cut, and when t e metal was cut by means of rotary)cutters, toexpand the metal either while eing cut or subsequently to the cuttingoperation in a separate expanding apparatus or mac e, in which lattercase it as been usual to expand the entire sheet at one operation. Thismethod ha afforded some advantages, in that the entire sheet could beexpanded at a the cutting could be rotary cutmore rapidly done by meansof tors.

Machines for expanding the metal, after it has been out, at a si 1e andindependent operationharve usually can ofsuch a-size as to be seriouslyobjectionnblerfor the largersize aheets,'.as such machines had to beadapted to receive the sheet in its full dimensions in one directionbefore expansion and to ex- .pand the metal to its maximum dimension inthe transverse direction. Insuch machines it has been usual to place theentire strain of the expanding operation u on the opposite edges of thesheet and an expansion has sometimes :beensomewhat irregular, owing tothe factthemtrain in the ex anding operbars of the meshes at the extremeas of thesheet.

By means of my math I am enabled to greatly reduce the expense of andthe space occupied by the'expanding apparatus while at the same time .anearly perfect the shapeand -sizeof',the mesh in the expanded metal g Incarryi out my invention, l rst form e metal in the desired way b thoughreciprocating cutters may be used, 22d gods the metal leariles thecutters, .it 18 us to use roug on; or corruwhich my heme? com risingerably of the rotary ty e, although reciprocating mechanism may e usedfor this purpose also, which crimps the sheet in such a way that a stripcut from the sheet transverselyof the corrugations and of the directionof the feed through the cutters will correspond to the dividing wall orbars between two adg'acent and transversely extending series 0 meshes,so that to produce the expanded metal, it is only necessary to bendevery other series of bars, between the cuts, in the opposite directionfrom that in which the lie in the crimped or corrugated sheet, an inexpanding such a sheet it is only necessa to engage the sheet at thekeys between t e bars and draw such keys in straight lines withoutstretching the metal.

I esire to call especial attention to the fact that one of the essentialfeatures of my present invention consists in so crim ing the sheet afterit has been cut that the motion of the motion of the expanding membersma be in straight lines, on account of which the metal may be expandedwithout stretching and the expander may be comparatively small andsimple in construction,-

either a roller having engaging teet on it or a pair of rollers casprocket chains or other endless bands aving engaging teeth thereon,such teeth spaced the same distance each we as the keys in the expandedmetal. y this method of expansion, the meshes are all exanded uniformlyand .each mesh is expanded independently of any other mesh in the sheet.

7 An important feature of my present invention is the cutting of themeta by rotary cutters, as such cutters may be operated with greaterrapidity than reci rocatin dies, and for the further reason t at suclirotary cutters may be advantageously incorporated in the same mac hewith the crimping or come rollers and the sheet may be delivered om suchmachine in its out and corrugated or crim ed form.

Another important feature 0 m invention is the character and method 0forming the cuts in the metal, the purpose being to provide asystemnfcutting in which rotary cutters may be used whose outerperipheries are ,plain and in no way notched, such cutters operating todis law from the normal initial plane of the a t 10 'tudinally extendingportions whose .wid is the width .otene aizthebars ,inoleaingthemeshesmthe ios expanded metal, such longitudinally extending strips locatedalternately below and above the normal initial plane of the metal andadjacent ones ,of such alternating stri s separated by an intermediatestrip of t e same width but extending first above and then below theinitial plane of the metal and united to such first named strips on eachside thereof at points denominated keys in the finished roductl Incutting the metal in this way t e centrally disposed longitudinallyextending strips are connected to alternately ositioned keys in rowsextending transverse y of the metal. The accompanying drawingsillustrate different steps in my process of forming the expanded metaland diagrammatically the apparatus which I may make use of for carng outthis rocess or method. Such awings are as ollows:

Figure 1 shows in end view and partiall in section a pair of cooperatingcutting rol ers. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of these rollers at thecutting points and with a sheet of metal as passing therethrou h and aportion of the sheet of metal as having een cut by the rollers. Fig. 3is asectional view of the cutting rollers near their cooperating outeredges. Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically the cuts formed by the rotarycutters. Fi 5 shows m diaam the cutting rollers an the cooperating eedrollers and additional thereto the crimping or corrugating rollers,while Fig. 6 shows in enlarged view a portion of the corrugat ng rollersand a art of a sheet of metal being operated on thereby. Fig. 7 shows aplan view of the metal after it has been cut and corrugated. Fi 8 showsa section of the expanded meta and diagrammatically the positions of theexpandi fingers as they expand the metal. Fig. 9 1s a top view of aortion of the expanding mechanism, while ig. 10 is a side view of the exander. Flg.

11 shows .a modified form of t e expanding mechanism.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throu hout the difierent figuresof drawing.

Re erring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4,my rota cutters consist of a series ofplain upper an lower disks a and 0), the face or thickness of which isthe width between the cuts and the width of a bar in the expanded metal.These disks 0 and a are assembled on suitable shafts and held properly saced in a way to be explained and t e thic ess also of a bar apartbetween a disk 0. and a disk a; These disks (1 and a overlap each otherand b just twice that distance which the 'longitu inally extending stris are to be displaced from the initial plane 0 the metal.

On each side of each roller a is a cutter c and' on each side of eachsuch roller (1 is a cutter c, the extreme outer peripheries ofthacutters c and cl presenting series of cutting seg- 55 ments so formedthat a cutter c cuts against rollers and cutters.

the adjacent side of a disk a, while a cutter c cuts against theadjacent side of a disk a, such cutters c and 0 having their moreprominent edges even with the disks a and a, respectively. Cutting edgeson the rotary cutters c and c are alternately ositioned and are adaptedto force the meta from the normal initial plane of the sheet firstupwardly to a point 111 alinement with the outer periphery of a disk (1and then downwardly to a point in line with the outer periphery of adisk a. The cutters c are separated first by a disk a and then by aspacing disk cl and in a similar way the cutters c are separated firstby a disk 0 and a spacing disk d. The 30 thickness of these spacingdisks it will be noted is of course the same as that of the cutters andother disks. The cutting disks 0 and c after they have operated on themetal leave cuts and forced from the initial lane of the sheet a seriesof sections arrange as indicated clearly in edge view in Fig. 2, thecuts being arranged as indicated in Fig. 4. As seen in Fig. 5, feedrollers F and F and G and G are provided each side of the rotary cuttersand the metal is supposed to pass from left to right, in this figure,and as it leaves the roller G it is flattened out a ain.

After assing through the feed ro lers G and G, t e sheet of metal m isengaged by a cooperating pair of crimping or corrugatmg rollers P and P,the size an rate of rotation of which is such as to substantially takeup the travel of the sheet through the receding These rollers and P formin the sheet transversely arranged cor rugations conformin to thecontour of the mesh in the expands metal, in the centers of which arelocated the keys in transversely extendin rows, every other row-of keysbeing force in one direction and every intermediate row of keys beingforced in the opposite direction from the initial plane of the sheet.Such a sheet of metal when thus corrugated is next expanded by beinginserted between two guides h and it having connectin end pieces h, onlone of'which is seen, an one, and preferab y the right hand, series ofkeys is engaged by a series of projecting fingers t extending outwardlfrom each one of a series of bars I) secure upon an endless band orcarrier B and caused to rotate over the rollers E and E. These rollers Eand E carry on their ends ,a series of teeth e adapted to engage thebars 15 to pro el the same in the expanding o eration. n the expandingof the metal by t is mechanism, the eys in the cut and corrugated metalare drawn in straight lines and the completed mesh, of diagonal form, isproduced by draw' the metal at the keys in stra' ht lines and withoutstretching, as clearl in icated. Byreason of the corrugation o themetal, one half of the side walls of each series of transverselyarranged meshes in the expanded metal is already formed tojectingsdirectly from the single rotating cylinder I desire to callattention to the fact that each mesh is expanded by itself and'that theexpansion is effected without stretching the metal and is uniformthroughout the sheet regardless of any slight irregularities in thespacing of the cuts or in the character of the metal, and also to thefact that in the expansion only every other series of bars is bent inthe o posite direction from that in which it lies in the cut and crimpedmetal, while every intermediate series of bars is simply moved along inits normal shape or condition without bending. On

account of the crimping or corrugatiiig of the metal, 'permittin theexpanding fingers t'to travel in straight lines, the expanding process.may be a continuous and rapid one and effected by the simple mechanismherein shown.

Any suitable feeding mechanism may be used to feed the corrugated sheetinto enga ement with the ex anding mechanism an I have shown onlyiagrammatically one form' of such afeeding mechanism in Figs. 8 and 10.Such a feeding mechanism may com rise a weight w havin attached theretoa c ain or rope r arrange to ass over a pulley-O secured. upon a sha t oand revoluble in bearings 11 and such chain secured at its otherend to aplate a engaging under the under edge or end of the corrugated sheet ofmetal, as indicated. There may be any desired number of such weights andropes and pulleys, according to thelength of the sheet transversely ofthe corrugations.

There shouldbe rovided at least two such weights one having itsattaching cord secured to each end of the cross bar-u.

What I claim is: r

l. The w'ithm described method of cutting metalfor expansion whichconsists in forming alternating series of interru ted cuts in the metalto leave alternating keys between the cuts and simultaneously forcmgcontinuously in one direction away from the mitlal plane of the sheetlongitudinally extending strips between the cuts s aced apart bythree-intermediatestri'ps an forcmg the centrally disposed oneoi' eachsuch three interme'dlate strips. continuously in the op osite directionaway-train the initial plane tithe sheet and-fercipg the adjacent on thesame side of a mesh with t stantially in a plane at an strip on eachside of each such centrally dis posed intermediate strip obliquelyacross the initial plane of the sheet between their alternatingconnections at the keys to stri s on each side thereof forced continuousy in opposite directions.

2. lhe within described method of cutting metal for expansion whichconsists in forming alternating series of interru ted cuts in the metalto leave alternating eys between the cuts and simultaneously force ingcontinuously in one direction away from the initial plane of the sheetlongitudinally extending strips between the cuts s aced apart by threeintermediate strips an forcing the centrally disposed one of each suchthree intermediate strips continuously in the opposite direction awayfrom the initial plane of the sheet and forcing the adjacent strip oneach side of each such centrally disposed intermediate strip obliquelyacross the inital plane of the sheet between their alternatingconnections at the keys to strips on each side thereof forcedcontinuously in opposite directions, the obliguely extending connectingstrips on one si e of each such centrally disposed intermediate stripalternating in direction with those on the other side of such centrallydisposed intermediate stri 3 The within'described method of formingexpanded metal, which consists in forming alternating series ofinterrupted cuts in the metal to leave alternating keys between the cutsand forcing every other row of keys in one direction away from thenormal .plane of the metal and every intermediate row of keys in theopposite dlrection to form in the cut or slashed metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of which correspondsubstantially to the contours of any two bars on the same side of a meshwith the connecting key between them in the expanded metal and engagingthe corrugated sheet at the keys and drawing the same in substantialparallel and straight lines extending su stantially in a plane at anangle to the plane of the corrugated sheet.

P4. The within described method of expending a slashed sheet of metal,which consists in forming in the slashed or'cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of which correspondsubstantially to the contours of an two bars he connecting key betweenthem in the expanded metal and engaging the corrugated sheet at suchkeys and drawing the same insubstantially parallel and straight linesextending sub.- angle to! the plane of the corrugated sheet. 5. Thewithin described method of ex: panding a slashed sheet of metalwhich'conw sists in first corrugating the sheet to'shortenthe sheet inthe direction of the cuts to per- .nit the expansion of the sheet byopening the cuts therein-by forcing or drawing points correspondinglyocated on opposite sides of the 5 cuts relatively a art in planesperpendicular to the original direction of the cuts and parallel to eachother and then forcing or drawing points correspondingly located onopposite sides of the cuts relatively a art in planes perpendicular tothe original direction of the cuts and parallel to each other.

6. The-within described method of forming expanded metal, which consistsin forming alternating series of interrupted cuts in the metal to leavealternating keys between the cuts and forcing every other row of ke s inone direction from the normal plane of t e metal and every intermediaterow of keys in the op osite direction to form in the cut or 'slashemetal corrugations extending trans versely of the cuts, the contours ofwhich correspond substantially to the contours of any two bars on thesame side of a mesh with the connecting key between them in the expandedmetal and engaging the corrugated sheet at the keys and drawing the samein substantially parallel and straight lines to expand the sheet.

7. The within described method of expending a slashed sheet of metal,which consists in forming in the slashedpr cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of which correspondsubstantially to the contours of an two bars on the same side of a meshwith t e connecti key between them in the expanded meta and engaging thecorrugated sheet at the keys and drawing the same in substantiallyparallel and. straight lines to expand the sheet.

8. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in first corru ating the sheet to shorten the sheet-inthe direction of the cuts to permit the expansion of the sheet byopening the cuts therein by forcing or drawing points correspondinglylocated on opposite sides of the cuts relatively apart in substantiallystraight lines in planes pe endicular to the ori "nal directionof the ens and then forcing or rawing oints correspondingly locatedon opposite sies of the cuts relativel apart. in substantially straight lines' in panes perpendicular' to the original direction of the cuts. I

9. The within described method of forming expanded metal, which consistsin formalternating series of interrupted cuts in the metal to leavealternating keys between the cuts and forcing every 0t er row of keysin'one direction away from the normal plane of the metal and everyintermediate ronLof keys in the oppositesdirection to form in the cut orslashe metal corrugations extending transversely of the cuts, thecontours I which correspond substantially to the contours of any twobars on the same side of a mesh with the connecting key between them inthe expanded metal, and engaging the corrugated sheet at the keys anddrawing the same in substantially parallel and straight linesextending... substantially in a plane transverse to the plane of thecorrugated sheet.

10. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in forming in the slashed or cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of which correspond substantially to the contours of an two bars on the same side of a meshwith t e connectin key between them in the expanded meta and engagingthe corrugated'sheet at such keys and drawing the same in substantiallyparallel and straight lines. extending substantially in a lanetransverse to the plane of the corrugated sheet.

11; The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in first corrugating the sheet to shorten the sheet inthe direction of the cuts to permit the expansion of the sheet byopening the cuts therein by forcing or drawmg oints correspondinglylocated on opposite sides of the cuts relatively apart in substantiallystraight lines in planes perpendicular to the original direction of thecuts and parallelto eac or drawing 1 other and then forcirg1 pointscorrespondingly locat on op osite tansides of the cuts relative] apartin an tially straight lines in p anes perpendicular to the originaldirection of the cuts and parallel to each other.

12. The within described method of form-. ing expanded metal, whichconsists in forming alternating series of interrupted cuts in the metalto leave alternati keys between the cuts and forcing every ot er row ofkeys in one direction away from the normal plane of the metal and everyintermedfigrtgwfm keys in the o posite direction tom the tutor slashesmetal corrugations exten transversely of the cuts,. the contours whichcorrespond substantially to the contours of any two bars on the sameside of a 116 mesh with the connecting key between them in the expandedmetal and engaging the conrugated sheet at the keys and drawing the samesubstantially without stretching the metal in substantially parallel andstraight 1 lines extending substantially in a plane at an angle to the.p ane of the corrugated sheet. ,13. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metal, which con sists in forming in theslashed or cut metal I" corrugations extending transversely of the cuts,the contours of which correspond substantially to the contours of an twobars on the same side of a mesh with tfie connec key between them in theexpanded met and engaging the corrugated sheet at such keys and drawingthe same substantially without stretchin the metal in substantiallyparallel and straig t lines extending substantially in a plane at anangle to the plane of the corrugated sheet.

14. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in first corrugating the sheet to shorten the sheet inthe direction of the cuts to permit the expansion of the sheet byopening the cuts therein by forcing or drawing points correspondinglylocated on opposite sides of the cuts relatively apart in planesperpendicular to the original direction of the cuts and parallel to eachother and then forcing or drawing points correspondingly locate on 0posite sides of the cuts relatively apart su stantially withoutstretching the metal in planes perpendicular to the original dinectionof the cuts and arallel to each other.

15. The Within described method of forming expanded metal, whichconsists in forming alternating series of interrupted cuts in the metalto leave alternating keys between the cuts and forcing every other rowof keys in one direction away from the normal plane of the metal andevery intermediate row of keys in the o posite direction to form in thecut or slashes metal corrugations extending transversely of the cuts,the contours of which correspond substantially ,to the coningly locatedon opp tours of any two bars on the same side of a mesh with theconnecting key between them in the ex anded metal and engaging thecorrugate sheet at the ke s and drawing the same substantially wit outstretchin D the metal in substantially parallel and straight lines to exand the sheet;

16. The within escribed method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in forming in the slashed or cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of-which correspondsubstantiallyto the contours of any two bars on the same side of a meshwith the connectin key between them in the expanded meta and engagingthe corrugated sheet at the keys and dra the same substantiall withoutstretc t e metal insubstantialiiy; parallel and straight lines to expandthe s eet.

17. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in first corrugating the sheet to shorten the sheet inthe direction of the cuts to permit the expansion of the sheet byopening the cuts therein 1) forcing. or drawing points correspondingylocated on op osite sides of the; cuts relatively apart in en tantiallykstraight lines in planes to t e original direction of t then forcing ordrawing points corres 0ndosite sides 0 the without a cuts, and

cuts relatively apar t substantildl B5 stretching "the metal insubstanti y straight erpendieular keys in the gated vversely of thecuts, t

lines in planes perpendicular to the original direction of the cuts.

18. The within described method of forming expanded metal, whichconsists in forming alternating series of interrupted cuts in the metalto leave alternating keys between the cuts and forcing every other rowof keys in one direction away from the normal plane of the metal andever intermediate row of opposite direction to form in the cut orslashed metal corrugations extending transversely of the cuts. ,thecontours of which correspond substantially to the contours of any twobars on'the same side of a mesh with. the connectin key between them inthe expanded meta and engaging the corrugated sheet at the ke s anddrawing the same substantially wit out stretching the metal insubstantially parallel and straight lines extending substantially in aplane tlr ansverse to the plane of the corrus .eet.

19. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in forming in the slashed or cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of which correspondsubstantially to the contours of an two bars on the same side of a meshwith t 'ie connectin key between them in theexpanded meta and engagingthe corrugated sheet at such keys and drawing the same substantiallywithout stretching the metal in substantially parallel and straightlines extending substantially in a plane transverse to the plane of thecorrugated sheet.

20. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in first corrugating the sheet to shorten the sheetin'the direction of the cuts to per-' mit the expansion of the sheet byopening forcing or drawing the cuts therein by y located on op ositepoints corresponding sides of thecuts relatively apart in su stantiallystraight lines in planes perpendicular to the original direction of thecuts and parallel to each other 'and thendorcing or drawing pointscorrespondingly located on opposite sides of the cuts relatively apartsubstantially without stretching 'the metal in substantially straightlines in planes perpendicular to the original direction of the cute andparallel to each other.

21; The within described method of forming expanded metal which consistsin forming alternating series of interrupted cuts in the metal to leavevalternating keys between the cuts and forcing every other rowof keys inone direction away from the normal plane of the metal and everyintermediate row of keys in the opposite'direction-to form in the cut orslashed metal corru ations extending transe contours of which correspondsubstantially to the contours .of any two bars on th'e'same side of amesh with the connect key between themin the expanded metal a i idforcing or bending every other transversely extending row of ars in theposite direction from that in which they lie in the corrugated sheet.

22. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in forming in the slashed or cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts the contours of which correspondsubstantially to the contours of an two bars on the same side of a meshwith t e connecting key between them in the expanded metal and forc' orbendin every other transversely exte iid'ng row of are in the oppositedirection from that in which they lie in the corrugated sheet.

23. The within described method of forming expanded metal which consistsin forming alternating series of interrupted cuts in the metal to leavealternating keys between the cuts and forcing every other row of keys inone direction away from the normal plane of the metal and everyintermediate row of keys in the opposite direction to form in the cut orslashed metal corrugations extending transversely of the cuts, thecontours of which correspond substantially to the contours of any twobars on the same side of a mesh with the connecting ke between them inthe expanded metal and orcing or bending substantially withoutstretching the -metal every other transversely extending row of bars inthe opposite direction from that in which they lie in the corrugatedsheet.

24. The within described method of expanding a slashed sheet of metalwhich consists in forming in the slashed or cut metal corrugationsextending transversely of the cuts, the contours of whichcorrespondsubstantially to the contours of any two bars on the same sideof a mesh with the connecting key between them in the expanded metal andforcing or bending substantially without stretching the metal everyother transversely extending row of bars in the opposite direction from,that in which they lie in the corrugated sheet.

WM. Hi OOOLEY. Witnesses:

OSBORNE F. GURNEY, Lo'r'rm W001).

